Embossed Butterflies

This month the colour challenge on The Ribbon Girl Blog is Pink and Cream.  I am currently restocking my for sale box and needed some female get well cards so made these two cards in the colour theme.

 

The card blanks were embossed with a Crafts Too embossing folder and then embellished with stamped butterflies which had been watercoloured and glittered with stardust stickles.  The sentiment was Personal Impressions and the sentiment mats punched with SU punches.  The butterfly stamp was also Stampin' Up.

I also made a quick congratulations card at the same time -

The last of April's Christmas cards

And these are the final few cards that I made in April.

 

Patterned papers are a mixture of  Hot off the Press, Brenda Pinnick and Papermania.  All the stamps used are PennyBlacks.

A girl and her dog - ATDML scraplift challenge

The last challenge for the ATDML cybercrop was a scraplift challenge and you had to choose a layout from the June Gallery to scraplift.  I chose this layout by Suzanne Torr and I also combined it with this week's challenge on UKS (criteria was - animals, lots of embellishments, use blue and to have a concentrated area on the layout).

I have very few photographs of animals but remembered that I had these photographs of my little sis' with her baby Toby.

I used Bo Bunny Kitchen Spice papers and lots of Martha Stewart punches.  The alphabet stickers are Pink Paislee and Adornit.

Yet more Christmas cards

Some more cards from my mammoth session in April -

The patterned papers are a mixture of magazine freebies, DCWV and Papermania.  The stamped swirl is Stampin' Up and the images are all Penny Blacks.  The sentiments are a mixture of Personal Impressions, Cuddly Buddly and Wild Rose Studio.

ATDML Class 4 - Mini book by Karen Moss

This class was to make a mini book using just one sheet of cardstock and some double sided patterned paper.  I rarely make mini books but wanted to make one about our recent stay in The Netherlands with the Jansen family.

I used Paper Trunk 'Maybe Baby' for the cover of my book.

The inside cover -

The back pages -

To decorate my pages I used a woodware scroll punch and I also doodled flowers on polka dot paper and cut them out.

I added a prima e-bling pearl to the flower on the front cover and used organza ribbon from my stash to make the tie. 

Thankyou Karen for a great class.

Shimelle 4x6 photo love May - Debden Dining

This month we are up to five photographs for Shimelle's 4x6 photo love

I did my layout about the lovely meals we always have at our weekends away at Debden.  I used Sarah's Cards January kit - Fancy Pants 'Happy Together'

I must apologise for the strangeness of this post but I have had to revert to the old editor on blogger to get my photos uploaded - hope this is just a blip as I hate the old editor - I can't put in links properly or get my photos in the order that I would like them :(

ATDML Class Five - Caledonian Canal

Class five was a lovely grid format page by Jane Hewitt and it was another opportunity for me this weekend to use more of the mini tripleprint photographs. 

I used October Afternoon Seaside papers and lots of alphabet stickers including October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, Cosmo Cricket and Doodlebug.   The photographs are from our boat trip on the Caledonian Canal in 2005.

Thankyou Jane for a lovely class.

ATDML Challenge Three - Share the Love

Challenge Three was Share the Love and was to show off projects made with stash bought from ATDML.

I rarely do Halloween layouts but when my friend Sy shared these lovely photos of her daughter in her pumpkin fairy outfit - I couldn't resist doing a layout.

I used Making Memories Spellbound papers -

It doesn't really show in the photograph but I have glittered all the spiderwebs with black stickles.  The little pumpkin charm is tied to the page with a piece of the co-ordinating ribbon that Mel and Jill kindly put in with my order.  I'm not sure what the alpha is as I did this layout at one of our Debden weekends, so it was one of the many alphas on the tool table.

ATDML Challenge Five - Smug Mug

The fifth challenge was a journalling challenge Between the Lines.  I decided to document about how when we had our photograph taken with the band Marillion at their European convention, my dear husband rushed forward and stood next to H the lead singer, right where I was hoping to stand.  He was just so smug afterwards .

I used the April kit from Sarah's Cards - Echo Park 'For the Record' and Puffy AC Thickers.  I used a SU file edge punch for the journalling paper, SU star punch and EK success button punch for the embellishments.

And a close up of the journalling

ATDML Challenge Two/PBSC 3rd birthday celebrations

The second challenge at ATDML cybercrop was material world and the challenge was to feature material, lace, fabric or trims somewhere on a project.

I managed to combine this challenge with the weekly challenge at Penny Black Saturday challenge which is celebrating its 3rd birthday this weekend with a birthday blog hop.  The challenge was to feature Pesky Critters on your project.

I made this card and used fabric backed with iron on interfacing to stop it from fraying for the bunting.

 

The paper used is Basic Grey cupcake and the mat was cut using a Martha Stewart PATP set.  The sentiment is Personal Impressions.

The bunting -

A close up of the stamped image

ATDML Challenge Four - The Morgans

The final challenge of the day yesterday was a sketch challenge.

This was the sketch that we had to use

I used a photograph taken of my sister and her family at her 40th birthday party last year.  I used some of my favourite Basic Grey collection Euphoria.

The flowers were stamped onto patterned paper using a free stamp from Craft Stamper and the centres were filled with AB gems.

ATDML Class Three - Skinny Minnie

This was a very interesting class by Ann Freeman.  I had to adapt it a little as I was using my own stash and I wanted the layout to go in my 8 1/2 by 11 album.

I used two WRMK papers - Maple Grove 'Oak' and 'Ash', the border stickers and small stickers are all Crate Paper 'Restoration'.  The journalling block is Pink Paislee and the chipboard buttons are Lily Bee 'Domestic Bliss'.  The little butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch.  The alphabet stickers are Adornit.

The photograph is an old one of me taken in 1987.  I can't get over how short my shorts are and I can't remember having legs as good as that but they say the camera doesn't lie.  So what I want to know is where did those legs go???  Mine look nothing like that now - I swear a supermodel came in one night and stole them from me and left me with her stumpy legs LOL!!!

Thank you Ann for a great class.

ATDML Challenge One - Tag It

The first challenge for the ATDML cybercrop was to use tags on a card or layout or make a set of tags.  I decided to make a little tag book.  I have loads of mini photographs from when I use to take pictures on a camera with real film.  I use to send my films to a firm called Tripleprint and attached to each 6x4 photo would be two mini copies.  As a hoarder I have kept all of these mini photos and I now find them ideal when I need to make mini books.  With a little bit of cropping they were just the right size for my tag book.  I had lots of photographs of my niece Milly so decided to make the book about her.

 

I cut the tags from kraft cardstock using a sizzix die and inked all the edges with vintage photo distress ink.  The front and back cover were stamped with a Hampton Arts floral background stamp using scattered straw ink.  The butterfly is from a lovely set of three stamps (Hero Arts 3 Artistic Butterflies) which only arrived in the post this morning - I think that is the quickest I have ever got a new stamp inky.  I then gave the butterfly a light covering of diamond stickles before cutting out.

 

After adding my photographs I then decorated the pages with punched butterflies and gemstones.

And a close up of the front cover

To finish I added some orange gemstones to the front cover, used My Little Shoebox alphabet stickers for the title and used some ribbons from my stash to decorate the book ring.  I rarely make mini books but I am pleased with how this has turned out.  I think I might make a little box for it to go in once the cybercrop has finished.

ATDML Class One - Christmas Day

Yesterday evening saw the start of the first cybercrop at A Trip Down Memory Lane and it kicked off with this lovely class by Mel.

I am planning to do lots of stash busting over this weekend so I haven't bought anything new or any of the class kits.

This is the layout that I did for Mel's class - it has a lovely interactive centre panel which opens out to show more photographs which was great as I had all these photos from Christmas Day 2009 waiting to be scrapped.  I used Basic Grey Wassail with the matching cardstock stickers and alphabet.  The page is about our tradition of not having turkey on Christmas Day, instead we always have steak and chips, washed down with a bottle of Lanson Black, followed by Sticky Toffee Pudding for afters.

Going to grab a quick breakfast and then finish off the challenge I started last night and see what the first class/challenge is today.

A Hundred Nights of Fun and Games, A Thousand Empty Glasses

The challenge this month on Sarah's Cards blog is to use your clothes as inspiration for a layout or card.  I knew straight away that I wanted to use the souvenir t-shirt from the recent Marillion convention that we attended in the Netherlands to inspire a layout about the weekend.

 

This is the t-shirt that inspired the layout -

Front view -

Back view -

I used Echo Park, For the Record 'Stamp of Approval' to get the postage stamp shape for the layout.  I then used navy Bazill cardstock and matted my photos onto a paler blue cardstock to match the colours of the t shirt.  My title was taken from the song lyrics on the back of the t-shirt, which I cut on the BigKick using a Sizzlet alphabet - Yarn.  I found a picture of the stamp that was used for the front of the t-shirt online and printed it out on cardstock and raised it up on foam pads as an embellishment.

There is still plenty of time to join in with the challenge as the closing date is 30th June and if you haven't recently taken a look at Sarah's Cards blog then do as it has had a bit of a makeover and the design team have been blogging some great projects and ideas.

Happy Birthday Richard

Today it is Richard's birthday - sadly we can't do anything special to celebrate as he is on a run of night duties, but he will be spoilt as always with lots of cards, pressies, cakes and I will make a special lunch for him to take to work.

This is the card that I have made for him -

Supplies used -

Penny Black stamp coloured with Derwent watercolour pencils
Heart paper - Craft Creations
Heart shaped doily from Ribbon Box
Sentiments - Hero Arts and Hot off the Press
Swirly mat - Marianne D die
Ribbon and pearls from stash

A close up of the stamped image -

PBSC Week 155

This week at Penny Black Saturday Challenge the theme is One for the Guys, so just at the right time for making a card for Father's Day which is next Sunday.

The first Penny Black stamp I ever bought was this sweet image of two hedgies out fishing in their yacht and it is ideal for male cards.

I wrapped twine around the bottom of the image and added a small yacht charm.  The sentiment stamps are Hero Arts and Stamps Away.

Moo-ry Christmas

I still haven't shared all the Christmas cards that I made in April yet, so here are two more.  The cow Christmas cards that I made last year went down very well and they were a best seller at the two fundraisers that I did.

The papers used are DCWV and the snowflake punches are Martha Stewart and woodware.  The sentiment punches are Stampin' Up and I printed out the Moory Christmas greeting.

Scrapology June Challenge

I was a bit daunted when I first saw this month's sketch on the Scrapology blog and then I remembered that I had some of the Bo Bunny 'Gabrielle' papers that would be ideal for the smaller framed photos.

This is how I interpreted the sketch

I used some photographs from my parents' wedding and handcut loads of butterflies from one of the sheets.  I used self adhesive pearls in two sizes to make my own swirls and added cream lace to the bottom of the layout.  The title is American Craft thickers and the smaller alphabet at the bottom of the page is My Little Shoebox.

Some close ups of the butterflies and swirls

The theme for the scraplift was M for machine stitching and I only have a really expensive machine which I am not happy to use for my papercrafting so I pricked holes round the edges of the main piece of patterned paper and then handstitched in cream cotton.  I lost count of the amount of norty words that were said as I kept puncturing my fingers as I was doing it LOL.

A close up of the stitching